The Solar System Archives

April 23, 2026April 22, 2026

Two Views of the Universe

Prominent atheists recently became upset by Victor Glover’s words aboard Artemis 2 during its history-making trip around the Moon. Some even expressed concern about the “separation of church and space.” We have written before about Victor Glover and his status as a Bible-believing Christian. When he spoke from space, he seemed to receive approval from the other astronauts, but not from atheists on the ground. We see the contrast between the two views of the universe.

Some of Glover’s words that apparently upset atheists include, “You’re on a spaceship called Earth that was created to give us a place to live in the universe…You are special. In all of this emptiness, this is a whole bunch of nothing, this thing we call the universe, you have this oasis, this beautiful place that we get to exist together…” Why should those words distress anyone?

Historically, many early scientists explored creation because they believed in an orderly universe created by an intelligent God. Many astronauts have said that being in space gave them a spiritual experience as they realized that Earth reveals design and purpose. I remember watching the Apollo 8 crew read from the book of Genesis on Christmas Day in 1968 as they traveled around the Moon. Our present NASA administrator, Jared Isaacman, said that his time in space convinced him that “the heavens declare the glory of God.”

Many leading science popularizers have tried to tell us that science destroys Christian belief. Richard Dawkins, Bill Nye, Michael Shermer, Lawrence Krauss, and others have written popular books arguing that science makes belief in God unnecessary and implausible. The two views of the universe can’t both be correct. The truth is that scientific discoveries continue to support belief in God and challenge the atheist concept.

Years ago, Carl Sagan said that Earth is such a tiny dot in the universe that it shows we have no privileged position in the cosmos. Victor Glover said that we are not a lonely cosmic accident, but instead, we are loved. On April 30, 2026, the movie “The Story of Everything” will open in select theaters nationwide. It will compare the two views of the universe—the atheist view and the biblical view that God designed and created all things and that He loves us. I think the movie will show that God’s story is the best and that it is actually supported by science.

References: scienceandculture.com HERE and HERE. You can see Victor Glover’s statement from space HERE. Click H ERE for more information about “The Story of Everything.”

April 10, 2026April 10, 2026

Return From the Moon

The astronauts of Artemis 2 have made their successful return from the Moon. I am sure that we will soon learn new things about the Moon and space flight. The plan is to land people on the Moon as early as two years from now.

This week, we have been looking back at information we have posted about the Moon over the last several years. Our Moon is more than 50 times more massive relative to our planet than the moons of any other planets in our solar system. Because of that, its gravitational pull affects life on Earth. Its braking power has slowed Earth’s rotation rate to give us 24-hour days. Longer days would cause day-to-night temperature extremes, and shorter days would produce extreme climate fluctuations. The Moon also stabilizes the tilt of Earth’s axis, which is essential for a stable climate.

The size and albedo (reflectivity) of the Moon provide the optimum nighttime illumination for nocturnal animals. Its size allows it to periodically eclipse the Sun, giving scientists much to learn about the Sun’s corona. The bottom line is that, according to astrophysicist Hugh Ross, for a planet to host advanced life requires a planet-moon system “with virtually identical” to ours, and it “must orbit a star virtually identical to the Sun.”

We can be thankful that God has given us the exact Moon that we have. I am sure that when astronauts return from the Moon, they will be glad that we live on planet Earth. Click HERE to learn a lesson in perspective from the Moon, written by John N. Clayton.

April 9, 2026April 9, 2026

A Solar Eclipse from Space

The Moon is just the right size and at the right distance from Earth to give us perfect solar eclipses. Tomorrow is the day when Artemis 2, with its crew of four, is scheduled to return to Earth. While on their journey around the Moon, they witnessed a solar eclipse from space. It was not the same as seeing a solar eclipse from Earth because the Moon was much closer to them than it is to us on Earth. Because of that, the Moon’s shadow was larger, but the astronauts could still see the Sun’s corona.

Earth comes between the Sun and the Moon two to four times per year, casting a shadow on the lunar surface. Total lunar eclipses are less common than partial or penumbral eclipses, but they are more interesting to watch. According to legend, CHRISTOPHER COLUMBUS USED A TOTAL LUNAR ECLIPSE to get the supplies he needed from the people of Jamaica. Whether full or partial, lunar eclipses can serve to remind us of HOW ESSENTIAL OUR MOON IS.

It was a rare and interesting experience for the astronauts to travel around the Moon and observe a solar eclipse from space, but I’m sure they will be excited to return home. They will be bringing back new information about our natural satellite, and the more we learn, the more we see evidence of God’s design.

April 7, 2026April 7, 2026

How Many Moons in Our Solar System?

As I write this, four Artemis 2 astronauts are on their way back to Earth after making a trip around the Moon. Until they make their planned splashdown in the Pacific Ocean near San Diego, California, on Friday, April 10, 2026, I want to look back at what we’ve written about our amazing natural satellite. Our Moon is very unique—unlike any other moon—in both size and number. There are how many moons in our solar system? You can see from THIS ARTICLE that the number of confirmed moons keeps changing.

Will the number of confirmed moons change again in the future? Probably, but we know that Earth has only one Moon, and it is just the right SIZE and MASS.

So, there are how many moons in our solar system? If you count all the moons orbiting the planets, the total is approximately 430. That number is subject to change, but there is only one that is just right, and I am sure God designed it that way.

March 16, 2026March 15, 2026

Water Is Unlike Any Other Substance

My astronomy students were always amazed to learn the basic physics fact that water exists in 22 different forms throughout the solar system, and that water is unlike any other substance on planet Earth. A simple example of this is to consider why a lake freezes, with ice on top and liquid water underneath. When most substances cool, they become denser, but at 4 degrees Celsius, water starts to violate that rule and becomes less dense.

Every elementary student knows that water can exist as vapor, liquid, or solid (ice). On Earth, water boils at 100 degrees C when the air pressure is 100 kilopascals. (A Pascal is 1 newton per square meter, and there are roughly 4.45 Newtons in a pound). At the same air pressure, water freezes at 0 degrees C. If you drop the air pressure to 100 Pascals, ice turns into water vapor, skipping the liquid phase altogether. One more point of interest to astronomers is that if the pressure is extreme–over 100 gigapascals–water will exist as ice regardless of the temperature.

As space probes visit other planets and their moons, they measure temperatures. Not only do the temperatures tell us about these bodies, but the shapes of ice crystals on them can tell us about the conditions there. Natural water ice crystals on Earth are hexagonal, but since water is unlike any other substance, scientists in the lab have forced ice crystals to take six different shapes. Depending on the temperature and pressure, they can be cubic, tetragonal, orthorhombic, rhombohedral, and monoclinic.

It has been said that the more we know about the creation, the closer we get to the creator. Because water is unlike any other substance, its structure allows a lake to freeze on the surface while life continues under the ice. The presence of water on other planets and their moons throughout the solar system enables the clockwork precision that allows Earth to endure for centuries with great stability. We learn about all of this through the facts of science discovered by human minds. Genesis 1:1 not only tells us that there was a beginning to time, space, and matter/energy, but we now know that the “heavens” includes God’s miracle glue that holds it all together–water.

Reference: March 2026 issue of Scientific American (pages 12-13)

February 16, 2026February 11, 2026

Milankovitch Cycles and Life on Earth

It should come as no surprise that the amount of sunlight reaching our planet influences our climate. Serbian mathematician and astronomer Milutin Milankovitch theorized that fluctuations in Earth’s climate are caused by changes in the amount of sunlight the planet receives, and that these changes follow specific cycles. Milankovitch calculated these cycles over the last 600,000 years and suggested they are responsible for ice ages and subsequent warmer interglacial periods. Geologists examining sediment layers in areas that were once ancient ocean beds confirmed the existence of Milankovitch cycles.

The amount of sunlight reaching Earth depends on three parameters that change over long time scales: the tilt of Earth’s axis, the eccentricity of its orbit, and the precession (wobble) of its axis. Because of the tilt of Earth’s axis, we experience seasons. Earth’s orbit is nearly circular but slightly elliptical, so its distance from the Sun varies. The precession of Earth’s axis is a slight wobble over time, similar to the wobbling of a spinning top.

Earth’s orbit is more circular than those of any other planet in our solar system. Because of this, the length of our seasons is approximately equal, but over long periods, these can change. The tilt of our planet’s axis is 23.4°, but it has varied in past ages from 22.1° to 24.5°. The precession of Earth’s axis also shifts over extended timescales. All three factors influence Earth’s climate because they alter the amount of sunlight reaching its surface.

The climate changes driven by these three factors are known as Milankovitch Cycles. The mathematician/astronomer calculated these cycles, and geologists have confirmed his calculations through examination of sediment layers from ancient ocean beds. The last Ice Age occurred about 20,000 years ago, when woolly mammoths roamed on ice sheets covering much of North America, Europe, and Asia. Over the past 10,000 years, the climate has remained remarkably stable, enabling the development of advanced civilizations.

As scientists study exoplanets beyond our solar system, they seek to determine their Milankovitch cycles because these cycles are another critical factor in assessing whether a planet can support advanced life. Mars has Milankovitch cycles that are far more extreme than Earth’s, which limits its potential to sustain life. Without the stabilizing influence of our relatively large Moon, Earth’s axis could oscillate up to 30°, leading to severe climate fluctuations. The more we learn about our unique planet, the more evident it becomes that God has finely tuned it to meet all our needs.

Reference: space.com

February 3, 2026January 31, 2026

Habitable Worlds Observatory

In a quest to detect life on a planet outside of our solar system, NASA has awarded three-year contracts to seven different companies to address the engineering challenges of a new precision space telescope. Since 2022, the James Webb Space Telescope has been capturing images of the universe in infrared light. Prior to that, the Hubble Space Telescope provided us with a deeper understanding of the secrets of space in the visible-light spectrum. The Habitable Worlds Observatory (HWO) is designed to pursue a different goal.

The HWO will be NASA’s most powerful space telescope, aiming to find signs of life in the universe. It will analyze light passing through the atmospheres of distant planets orbiting stars hundreds or even thousands of light-years away. Doing this will require a coronagraph thousands of times more powerful than any built before. A coronagraph is an instrument that blocks out the light from the Sun or other stars to reveal the faint atmospheres of exoplanets. It must also be repairable in space if any stray micrometeoroids impact its surface. The optical system must be stable within the width of a single atom. The precision required for the Habitable Worlds Observatory telescope surpasses any current technology.

This telescope must be far more advanced than the Webb Space Telescope, and you may recall the challenges and costs associated with that project. The goal is to have the Habitable Worlds Observatory ready for launch by the late 2030s or early 2040s. Jared Isaacman, the NASA administrator, stated that this is “exactly the kind of bold, forward-leaning science that only NASA can undertake.”

If the project succeeds in demonstrating that life could potentially exist on a planet outside our solar system, what then? If the planet is thousands of light-years away, we would be observing what it was like thousands of years ago. It will also take that long for us to beam a message to it, and if there are intelligent beings there, it will take an equal amount of time for them to respond. Traveling to such a planet would take humans many times longer, since it’s impossible to travel faster than a small fraction of light speed. Furthermore, even if we see signs that life could exist on a distant planet, we still won’t know for sure if life actually does.

One thing we can be certain of is that the project will take a lot of time and cost a lot of money. However, Isaacman says, “We intend to move with urgency.” In other words, there is an “urgent” desire to find out if there is life or any sentient beings beyond our planet. The truth is, there is a Being out there who has communicated with us, and He has even come to our planet to show us how to live and to redeem us from our sins. Perhaps the greatest urgency is for us to communicate with and come into a right relationship with Him.

References: space.com and youtube.com

February 2, 2026February 8, 2026

Controlling the Sun

The Sun has been very active lately, with sunspots and solar flares, causing auroras to be visible farther south in the Northern Hemisphere. People have enjoyed seeing the colors of the Aurora Borealis, but engineers and scientists are worried about potential effects on satellites and power grids. As we approach the peak of the 11-year solar activity cycle, some are concerned about controlling the Sun.

The truth is that our Sun’s radiation bursts are 10 to 100 times weaker than what scientists have observed from similar stars in the Milky Way galaxy. Why is it that planets we have detected orbiting other sun-like stars might be exposed to deadly radiation that we are protected from? One study by scientists at the German laboratory Helmholtz-Zentrum Dresden-Rossendorf suggests that Venus, Earth, and Jupiter may be partially responsible for controlling the Sun.

The Sun is most active when its magnetic field is strongest, and the idea is that the gravitational pull of Venus, Earth, and Jupiter creates a tidal force that affects the Sun’s magnetic field. The Sun’s magnetic dynamo generates its magnetic field, while the subtle gravity of these three planets may produce a tidal effect. This may make the Sun’s activity “much more benign than that of other sun-like stars,” according to physicist Frank Stefani and his colleagues.

We’ve often said that many factors need to be just right for our planet to support life. This may be another factor to consider. The research team noted that every 11 years, the tidal forces of these three planets align in a way that could influence the Sun’s magnetic dynamo. They admit there are still “missing pieces in our synchronizing jigsaw,” so more research is needed before definitively claiming that these planets are a factor in controlling the Sun. Nevertheless, the fact is that our Sun’s radiation eruptions are 10 to 100 times weaker than those of similar stars. This suggests our planetary system is not accidental but intentionally designed for life.

References: space.com and hzdr.de

November 21, 2025November 20, 2025

Evidence for the Existence of a Creator in the Big Bang

Cosmology offers compelling evidence for the existence of a creator God. Many people in both religious and skeptical communities see the Big Bang theory as a threat to the credibility of the Genesis account and the existence of God. However, this is unfortunate because the Big Bang theory actually aligns with the Genesis account and presents a cause of creation that skeptics cannot explain.

Technology has confirmed the Big Bang. The Cosmic Microwave Background (CMB) provides the oldest record of the universe’s temperature and density from the very beginning. The latest CMB data show that the universe began with a hot Big Bang. Data from the Wilkinson Microwave Anisotropy Probe verify that time started at the Big Bang.

The words of Genesis 1:1 fully correspond to this data. The first word in the Bible is “reshith,” meaning an absolute starting point. The next word refers to God, followed by “bara,” a term used exclusively for acts only God can perform. Then, we see the word is “shamayim,” meaning “heaved-up things.” The rapid expansion of the universe aligns perfectly with this wording.

Further study of the biblical record reveals the ongoing battle between good and evil and God’s creation of humans through whom that battle occurs. (See Job 1 and 2.) Skeptics cannot explain why humans exist. The greatest failure of atheism is that it offers no reason for the existence of the cosmos or human life. When science and religion conflict, it often indicates either poor science, poor religion, or both. Historically, this has been the case with the Big Bang theory, but as science progresses and people deepen their understanding of what the Bible truly teaches, we see that both science and Scripture provide strong evidence for the existence of a Creator.

Reference: American Scientist, November/December 2025, pages 353 -359.

October 31, 2025October 28, 2025

Earth Needs Jupiter

Jupiter is by far the largest planet in the solar system. Its mass is 2.5 times greater than the combined mass of all other planets in the solar system. It divides the planets of the inner solar system (Mercury, Venus, Earth, and Mars) from the outer planets (Saturn, Uranus, Neptune). We have previously mentioned that the gravity created by Jupiter’s mass acts as a shield to protect our planet from comets coming from outside the solar system. Additionally, Jupiter influences Earth’s climate cycle. More than that, Earth needs Jupiter for its very existence.

As the solar system was formed, Jupiter’s massive gravity prevented gas and dust in the inner solar system from being pulled into the Sun. These materials coalesced into the inner planets, including Earth. As the planets formed, Jupiter’s gravity helped stabilize the orbits. A recent study co-led by Andre Izidoro of Rice University in Houston demonstrated that Jupiter shaped the structure of the solar system. Earth needs Jupiter today, just as it needed it at the beginning.

According to Izidoro, “Jupiter didn’t just become the biggest planet—it set the architecture for the whole inner solar system. Without it, we might not have Earth as we know it.” As gas and dust swirled around the newly formed Sun, Jupiter’s massive gravity created ripples that formed rings of material which clumped together by gravity to form the inner planets. Earth needs Jupiter because, without it, the material that formed the planet would have spiraled into the Sun.

Genesis 1:1 tells us, “In the beginning, God created the heavens and the Earth,” but it doesn’t specify the process God used or how long it took. If the Bible included every detail, it would be an enormous book. But the Bible is not a science book, and scientists are still exploring the processes God used in creation. It is fascinating to consider how complex the creation process must have been, yet the first verse of the Bible contains the essential facts. There was a beginning. God did it. The creation of a functioning universe, a solar system, and a planet for human habitation is summarized in five Hebrew words—“reshith elohim bara shamayim erets.”

References: space.com and science.org